Women and supporters around the world took to the streets Saturday in support of women’s rights.
While in North America the marches were often articulated with the election of President Trump, who was inaugurated the previous day, related events were held in over twenty countries around the world, according to The Guardian. Cities around the world in which the marches were held include Paris, Mexico City, London, Sidney, Buenos Aires and New Delhi. According to The Independent, crew members on a research vessel near Antarctica made signs on their boat to represent the seventh continent.
Organizers of marches across the country registered their events online with the international movement and the march in Washington, allowing individuals to RSVP. Over two hundred people registered to attend the event in Houghton, although some estimates suggest that as many as five hundred were involved in the walk.
Organizers gathered around 2 p.m. in the first few blocks of Main Street and near Bridgeview Park on the water holding signs and moved on to the bridge that links Houghton and Hancock. As well as being a very visible location, standing on the bridge helped to prevent traffic problems that often arise from public marches.
Event organizer Susan Burack, who organized the event because she could not participate in the March in Washington D.C. with her daughter, was pleased with the turnout. “I feel very strongly right now that it is important to do grass-roots, and we have a great turnout here,” said Burack. “We hope that this is the first of many actions,” she said. “Women’s rights are human rights.”
“Social media is filled with all kinds of hate and misinformation, and if you just take a moment to look around at all of our neighbours there’s actually a lot of love out there,” said one Houghton marcher. “There’s a lot of understanding and there’s a lot of tolerance out there, and we need to be the motto for that.”
Community marchers were not all women, and represented many professions, age groups and concerns. Many carried signs representing reproductive rights and civil justice issues including the Black Lives Matter movement. Two young girls were seen holding posters decorated with pictures of Mulala Yousafzi who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 for speaking out for women’s education in the Middle East. Several demonstrators discussed concern over the pay gap. One demonstrator suggested that “Everyone has their own reason for being here.”
“The reason that I’m here is to demonstrate the importance of keeping in mind that the hate that is coming out of the current administration and the human rights violations that we are likely to get into is just not acceptable,” said one demonstrator, who said that he had also attended the march for healthcare at the same location on the previous Monday. “We have to get attention to people in power.”
While there were over two hundred instances of vandalism or violence in protests on inauguration day Washington D.C. police have said that no arrests were made during the women’s march and it is not believed that any were made at the march in Houghton.
One Response
I am receiving nothing but love from the current administration, don’t see any hate, and am not at all concerned about possible human rights violations, perhaps these are imaginary worries and non-issues.
Signed,
Tech graduate, mining engineering and civil engineering who helped create a lot of jobs during his working life.